Richly imagined and exceptionally well plotted and written, the novel is, most of all, a compelling, often haunting story that will captivate both adult and young adult readers.”

Following the three friends and Emmy down the Mississippi river and meeting the folks along the River was mesmerizing. A book you won’t own. It will own you. Long, sprawling, and utterly captivating, readers will eat up every delicious word of it.” The character of Sister Eve draws heavy inspiration for her complicated motivations from Sharon Falconer, the itinerant companion of Elmer in Sinclair Lewis's novel Elmer Gantry. Lewis's character in turn is inspired by the real-life Aimee Semple McPherson, whom Sid refers to (in text) as a role model for Sister Eve and the entire Gideon Crusade. [6] We follow them as they escape with Emmy who didn't originally live at the school and move farther and farther away from Lincoln School and the horrors they had endured. Chapter 61 – Scrambled eggs, ham, toast and raspberry jam, grits, and fried green tomatoes—breakfast at Aunt Julia’s the morning after Odie arrivesDiscuss the Lincoln Indian Training School. Were you aware that such institutions existed? What about the Dakota Conflict of 1862? Do know know any other facts about these two pieces of Native American history that you would like to share with the group? When Albert, Odie, Mose and Emmy left the Lincoln School, they encountered the depression of the 1930s in the outside world. Do you think the author did a accurate job in portraying The Great Depression era? Recommended: This Tender Land is recommended for readers who appreciate a well-written, poignant, and lyrical story by a master storyteller, for fans of William Kent Krueger ( Ordinary Grace), for those who love historical fiction and adventure stories, and definitely for book clubs.

Odie, Albert, Mose, and Emmy are all searching for peace and a place to call home. What do you think each character is looking for and what are their different definitions of home? In the end, do they all find what they are looking for, and if so how? Krueger is a gem of a storyteller…The four Vagabonds in this narrative captured my imagination and their journey across America brought images of the depression into focus.” They encounter a traveling tent revival and Sister Eve: ". . . A woman held center stage. Her hair was a long, sleek tumble the color of fox fur, and she wore a flowing white robe whose long hem trailed behind her as she moved." My hope is that you’re familiar with my 2013 novel Ordinary Grace, which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. The story was a profound departure from those I’ve written for my New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor mystery series. The response to Ordinary Grace from readers and critics was immensely gratifying and led to a contract for a companion novel.It's 1932, a time of hardship, adversity, and despair. Especially at the Lincoln Indian Training School, formerly a military outpost called Fort Sibley. It's a place where Indian children who have been taken from their families are sent so they can be educated in the ways of the white world. But it's really a place meant to obliterate every trace of their Indianness, by force if necessary.

For your next book club gathering, plan to meet somewhere outdoors and go on an adventure whether by foot or canoe. Discuss with your group what you notice about the landscape around you. How is the Midwestern landscape a part of Odie’s story and what connections to This Tender Land can you make to your own life and the place that you live?Were you surprised that Albert, Odie and Mose agreed to bring Emmy along with them on their escape? Did you agree with that?

Four orphans escape an abusive situation at a boarding school and set off on a river trip in a canoe bound for St Louis. The trip is not a leisurely one, as the authorities are hot on their trail. Along the way, they meet a variety of people, all trying to make their way in the world under trying circumstances. Some are good, some not so much, and some are somewhere in the middle. They all have lessons to teach as Odie, the main character, attempts to come to terms with his faith and God in a world he find unfair, and where everything and everyone he loves is taken from him. After years of such mistreatment, Vincent DiMarco meets a sudden demise at the hands of one of the children. Odie and Albert, along with a speechless Sioux Indian boy named Mose Washington, and six-year old Emmy Frost are forced to go on the run pursued by the police. Home is where the heart is.” And Odie, Albert, Moses and Emmy are all looking for their own versions of home. Odie, Albert and Moses are all orphans at the start of the book and never really had homes. Emmy loses her mother in a freak accident. When they’re all forced to flee, they take to the river. Told over the course of one summer, the book paints a perfect picture of the 1932 Midwest - farmers desperate to survive, faith healers, folks living in Hoovervilles.Do you personally believe in miracles, and what’s your take on these miraculous events happening in the novel? FOUR YEARS HAD passed between that first night and the one I’d just spent in the quiet room. I’d grown some, changed some.The old, frightened Odie O’Banion was, like my mother and father, long dead. The Odie I was now had a penchant for rebellion. They are paddling their canoe down rivers to their destination, often with no food. Along the way they meet people both good and bad. I also enjoyed the twist that was thrown in at the end. That twist made me all fuzzy inside and left me with a light heart.